Alnea watched in silence as the Captain of the Greenshield Wanderers rallied his teammates, boosting their morale, and inducing confidence within their Hearts. Even when getting ambushed, and facing a desperate situation, he did not hesitate. Such a brilliant show of leadership… It looked he had been underestimating his enemies too much. Fortunately, he learned his lesson before making any mistakes.

  “Get ready,” Alnea said, as the Greenshield Wanderers drew their weapons, and clashed against Vestia’s creations, making her face turn even more pale than before. Although she did not have to expend too much Spirit Power in controlling the water sharks once she had created them, every time one of them was destroyed, some of the damage would be reflected back to her Spirit. Coupled with constantly controlling the water flowing around them, allowing them to approach the other bank of the river…

  Helping Vestia, on the verge of losing her consciousness, sit down on the riverbed, Alnea turned towards the Greenshield Wanderers. They may be respectable enemies, but they were enemies, nonetheless. Showing mercy to them was akin to being cruel to himself, and to his teammates. To the girls he called his Heart. Steeling his determination, he was just about to rush out of the river, when Yuri called out to him.

  “How are you going to deal with them?”

  “…They are already showing so many flaws,” Norren mumbled. “Do we still need a plan to deal with them?”

  “…Let’s take down their Arcanist and Scholars first,” Alnea said, ignoring Norren’s thoughtless comment. “This place is right next to their camp, after all. We do not know how many measures they have laid out in advance. If we give them enough time to activate those measures, we do not know what the consequences can be. It would be best if we can take them down before they can use any of those measures. If not, let us just try to prevent them from using as many measures as possible.”

  “…So, your idea is to grind down their Arcanist and Scholars, while keeping their Warriors at bay?”

  “…It sounds terrible when you say it like that, but it is the only plausible plan I can think of in our situation.”

  “Have you not thought of taking down their Captain? He is the core of their team. Once we take him down, their entire team will crumble on its own.”

  “That sounds like a good idea, but I do not think that those Wanderers will just watch us take down their leader without doing anything.”

  “…Do you believe me?” Yuri said, staring solemnly into his eyes.

  “I do,” Alnea said without even a shred of hesitation.

  “Then ignore everything that happens next, and go straight towards their Captain.”

  “…I will leave my life in your hands then,” Alnea said after a moment, flashing a confident grin.

  “…You just worry about how to deal with their Captain in as short a time as possible,” Yuri said, before turning towards the rest of the Star Seekers. “Cecilia, you will charge in from the front, and deal as much damage as possible.”

  “…That is just what I want,” Cecilia said with a grin, glancing at Alnea from the corner of her eyes, flashing a smirk at him. Was she hinting at him to learn tactics from Yuri?

  “Zain and Karl, your only job is to support Cecilia, and ensure her safety.”

  “Consider it done.”

  “Aren, harass the Scholars and Arcanist of the Greenshield Wanderers. Not the two at the back. I mean the rest of the Scholars and Arcanist in their team. They are already preoccupied as it is. You just have to interfere with their casting of Glyphs and Arcanas.”

  “Understood.”

  “Fran, you lead Norren and Ralph to deal with the two at the back. Incapacitate them, if possible, kill them if you cannot. But remember, no matter what happens, do not let them interfere with the rest of us.”

  “Got it,” Fran said, glancing at Norren and Ralph, who nodded back in return.

  “As for you,” Yuri said, turning towards Vestia at last. “You are in no condition to fight. Just direct your Arcana away from their Captain, and stay away from the next battle.”

  “…It is alright,” Vestia said, shaking her head. “I drank a couple of potions earlier, and have already recovered some of my Spirit Power. Although I cannot fight directly, I can still support from the back. At least—

  “This is an order,” Yuri said, staring sternly at Vestia. “You have already done more than enough. If we still cannot defeat this team in our condition, then we do not deserve to clear the Final Trial.”

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “…But—

  “Just listen to her, Vestia,” Alnea said, pinching Vestia’s nose to distract her. “Get some rest, and recover as soon as possible to help us in the next battle.”

  “…Then I will wait here for your battle to end,” Vestia said, patting his hand away, with a hint of blood rushing her pale cheeks.

  “Tsk. Even when exhausted, you are still the same vixen.”

  “…Before we act, let me remind you once again that our main objective is not to defeat or kill these Wanderers, but to keep them occupied. At least until Alnea has defeated their Captain. As for what will happen after that, we will adapt according to the situation. Did everyone get that?”

  “We did.”

  “…Is everyone prepared?”

  “We are.”

  “Good. Then, Vestia…

  “…May Goddess Ilea be with you,” Vestia said, before waving her right hand, directing the flow of the river to clear their way to the bank. To the Greenshield Wanderers still grappling with Vestia’s creations. Or at least what was left of them. Nearly ten of the twenty or so water sharks had already been destroyed. Partly due their lack in means of attack, and partly due to the excellence of the Greenshield Wanderers themselves.

  Individually, the Greenshield Wanderers did not seem to be too strong. Except for their Captain, who showed some decent abilities, the others seemed to have barely reached the level of entering the top ten thousand rank in the Arena. Despite their individual weakness though, the synergy between their moves, and the way they predicted each other’s next actions was enough to enhance their overall strength by at least a few levels.

  Besides, the Greenshield Wanderers were not just randomly swinging their weapons and casting their Arcanas and Glyphs. After grasping the pattern of the sharks rushing towards them, they first manoeuvred around those sharks, isolating them from each other, before taking them down one by one. Finding the best way to deal with their enemies in such a short time…

  “Be careful!” said the Captain of the Greenshield Wanderers, as he glanced at the river, while using his shield to deflect a shark, directing it away from his team. “The river is surging once again. We might have to deal with another wave of these sharks.”

  “Another wave?” said a Greenshield Wanderer, ducking down to avoid the shark that his Captain had just deflected away, before using his shield to block another shark aiming for his head, borrowing the momentum from the rebound to regroup with other teammates. “Are those bastards crazy? Do they have an endless supply of Spirit Power?”

  “…Once I get my hand on them…”

  “Do not get distracted, Vamos!” said the Captain of the Greenshield Wanderers, piercing a shark with his sword glowing in green and red lights of his Aspects, killing another of the Perdia cursed water elementals. “Focus on dealing with these sharks first. We can think of how to deal with those bastards later when we meet them head on. For now—Ivold’s whip! What exactly is happening in the river? Marian!”

  “On it!” said the green robed woman staying at the back of the Greenshield Wanderers, as she closed her eyes to explore the river, and—

  “They are coming from the river!”

  “Who is coming from the river?”

  “The invaders! They were hiding in the river all along!”

  “…I knew that we should have bombarded the river from the beginning!”

  “Focus, Vamos,” said the Captain of the Greenshield Wanderers, kicking one of his teammates away from the path of a shark, before blocking the shark with his shield, and piercing it with his sword. “How many Wanderers are there, Marian?”

  “Ni—

  “Forget it,” said the Captain of the Greenshield Wanderers, blocking the shower from the water elemental bursting apart with his shield, as he glanced towards the river. “I see them already. Konas!”

  “I have been waiting for a long time!” said the green robed man who had been staying at the back with the woman. Glaring fiercely at the Wanderers jumping out of the river, he raised his hands into the air, and gestured to the trees behind him. “Prepare to meet the wrath of the Greenshields!”

  As if the tress had just been waiting for his cue, they came alive the moment that the man finished his words, and began unleashing their attack on the Star Seekers one after another. First came the roots hanging from the branches of the trees, twirling around them like snakes, trying to bind them in their grip. Then came the roots from underneath them, tearing through the damp ground, sending piles of mud splashing everywhere, before speeding through the air like whips, going straight for all their vital parts.

  Then again, Alnea could understand why the Greenshields would aim for their lives. Not that their random attacks could hurt him, or any of the Star Seekers for that matter. With no Aspects or Mysteries attached to the roots, the attacks were purely physical in essence. And with the man dispersing his control over so many roots, his attacks could not hurt the Star Seekers even if they cooperated with him. At most, they would only get entangled.

  However, just because he could understand the Greenshields did not mean that Alnea was stupid enough to let them entangle him. Especially in their current situation, where the Star Seekers had all the advantages. Following the rhythm of their enemies would be the stupidest decision he could make. Not to mention that he was not even commanding the battle in the first place. And their commander had already given her orders.

  Just before the roots could reach the Star Seekers, Fran stepped forward and raised the shield in his hands. In the next moment, all the roots that were heading for the Star Seekers turned around, and headed straight towards Fran’s shield, striking it with all their might. Even the roots that were originally coming to entangle them were no exception. And to make matters worse, all the roots chose to attack at the same time, concentrating their forces at one point.

  Even if the attacks were purely physical, such an attack had already faintly exceeded the limits of Peak Stage False Wanderers. Fortunately, Fran had not been foolish enough to take the attack without preparations. By the time the roots attacked his shield, he was practically shining in the lights of his Aspects, while activating the Martial Style he was best at. He even urged the slight hint of the Concept he had mastered over the past few months.

  Still, despite all his preparations, had it not been for Norren to step forward and support his back at the last moment, the attack might have been enough to send Fran flying back into the river. And even with Norren’s support, they were still pushed back to the edge of the river. But their efforts were not in vain. Since they had dealt with their enemy’s first blow, it was finally their turn to move.